Material Handling & Supply Chain Technology News

Conveyors guide the circulation of many assembly plants — if they're not running, other plant systems can be shut down as well. That's the idea behind a new control system that a major manufacturer is deploying at 20 of its facilities. The use of lights, compressed air systems, and paint shop ovens are being tied to the schedule of the conveyors. Annual energy savings will be five times more than the cost of implementing the system. Have you looked into this approach for your facility?

Feed and discharge from multiple stations with NERAK reliability using our new PORTAL LIFT. An improvement on the traditional reciprocating conveyors, integrated safety enclosures save you vital production space and money. Increase your ROI with our low maintenance, clean, and quiet rubber chain drive system. Contact us today!

Jamco Products Inc., presents our maximized bin cabinet, allowing storage of small and large parts together with complete organization. An assortment of bin sizes gives the space and separation needed to optimize your cabinet's usability. See Model DE in three different sizes to choose the right size for your application.

Kiva delivers Mobile-robotic Warehouse Automation systems for pick, pack, and ship operations that use simple robotic drive units to bring inventory to workers. Kiva's complete hardware and software solution enables short cycle times with reduced labor requirements to consistently achieve world class productivity, accuracy, and flexibility.

Positech's Articulated Jib Boom (AJB) can be used as an alternative to an overhead rail system or single arm jib.The AJB is available in five model configurations, provides up to 5,000 lbs of payload capacity and spans up to 20 ft.

A new line of mobile cranes lifts loads from directly under the crane's frame to provide high stability. The cranes are ideal for tandem picking and single-point pick applications. The mobile design eliminates the need for structural reinforcements that are often needed with permanent indoor overhead cranes. The cranes can also work together with a user's existing conventional cranes. See the cranes in action here.

A family of sorting systems is available in two configurations — tilt tray and split tray (also called bomb-bay). The systems are used for automatic sorting of flat, lightweight items. When carriers reach the proper location, the trays open and the contents drops into a waiting box or tote — no need for expensive, space-consuming chutes. This approach also means that there is less need for manually adjusting contents after they have been sorted.

The air cargo industry is still struggling to deal with federal requirements for 100% screening of of cargo carried on passenger aircraft in the US. Challenges include equipment, trade facilitation, and standardization of procedures. New challenges may be in store as some officials push for full screening of all cargo on all planes. This article contrasts that type of requirement with a tiered approach that targets high-risk cargo.

A major coffee distributor faced the challenge of revamping its distribution system by developing a four-year plan. This case study describes the modeling and planning tools and procedures used to try to predict the future for its 500 plus retail locations, and growing commercial business. The commercial side, which includes deliveries to offices, sporting events, and other venues, has grown from 2% of the business to more than 10% in the last five years.

Advance Lifts, Inc. of St Charles, Illinois is proud to announce the their new white paper on rider and non-rider mezzanine lifts. This paper is designed to address the many misconceptions regarding high travel lifts servicing mezzanines. Go here to learn more and to download our complimentary white paper.

Albion designs casters and wheels to meet every load and application from furniture casters to industrial wheels. As examples, our 08 Series is a sleek steel formed caster with a 900 lbs. load rating and Total Lock option; and Ergonomic Floor Locks feature functional step on/step off pedals. Contact us today!

The portable Tote Box Tilter is designed to make each operator independent of forklifts. It allows the lifting, handling, and positioning of containers and its contents easy on backs. Econo Lifts Tilter tilts hydraulically from 0-94 degrees. By making the product more accessible you reduce reach, which in turn prevents back strain and increases productivity.

Bratney Companies latest fully-automated bagging solution is now available.

ANDY-A Robotic Bag Transfer System that offers very low maintenance and is an easy installation start up.

The PTH-900 series open mouth bagger:
• Affordable and has a Small footprint
• Bag top reformer at the clamp
• Will work with paper, poly-woven laminate, and porous poly-woven bags

A voice-directed picking system can operate on the user's voice-enabled mobile computer of choice to communicate with a warehouse management system, and to direct and verify the work of warehouse personnel. The system is designed to adapt to whatever practices the user has in place. The system can also be used in receiving, put-away, and replenishment. This video shows how one company rolled out the system to 40 sites in less than a year. [registration required for video]

Most order picking operations today require some degree of manual activity because, until now, there has been no substitute for human hand/eye coordination. A new system, fully automatic, can be smoothly integrated with existing warehouse systems to handle as many as 2,000 picks per hour. The key element that enabled this technology is a unique combination of 2D and 3D image processing.

A family of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) features a standard vehicle platform that can be configured for almost any material handling application. For example, different load handling attachments can be added for transportation of a variety of load types, and to interface with conveyors, racks, stands, and other types of equipment. A video shows how the vehicles can improve productivity.

Lift trucks are the key to successful materials handling at this refrigerated and frozen food warehouse. A case history describes how a fleet of trucks handles up to 100 million pounds of product each month at two new facilities. The fleet of 71 vehicles includes reach trucks, sit-down and stand-up counterbalanced lift trucks, order pickers, and pallet trucks of various capacities. A cold storage conditioning package protects the trucks' control systems and a thermal kit protects the drivers.

Shreds wood, plastics, paper, cardboard, textiles, film, synthetics, biomass, tires, MSW, industrial waste, medical waste, C&D debris — virtually everything. The leader in size reduction technologies, Vecoplan manufactures individual machines and complete systems for recycling, information and product destruction, processing of alternative fuel feedstocks, and simple size reduction. www.vecoplanllc.com

Lifting heavy rolls of paper, films, foil, and other materials for transport or for loading and unloading processing machining becomes a simple, one-operator job with Southworth roll handling tables. Tables can be surface or pit-mounted and combined with other Southworth products such as lowering tables and transfer cars to create complete roll handling systems.

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Knowing the language of your industry or profession is a basic requirement for success. If you're in the material handling profession, and work with conveyors, you'll want to visit the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association's glossary, which defines and explains more than 1,600 entries. You may also want to contribute your knowledge — CEMA is updating the page in 2011 and is looking for input on terms that may be missing.

Robots, operating in a sterile environment, are starting to fill prescriptions at the pharmacy of the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center. The goal is not to reduce labor costs, but to reduce the chances that patients will get the wrong meds. And it's looking good — no errors in 350,000 doses of oral and injectable medications so far. This approach will enable pharmacists to spend less time on rote tasks and more time using their pharmaceutical knowledge to assist patients.

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